A 19-year-old man has been convicted of dealing cannabis to pay back his debt to a Goulburn drug dealer.
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Caleb Somerville was convicted of supplying a prohibited drug, possession of a prohibited drug and an unauthorised pistol on August 19, 2020. Somerville was caught with 52 grams of cannabis - portioned into bags to sell, a small amount of methamphetamine and a gel blaster firearm by NSW Police.
Goulburn Local Court heard Somerville was asked to leave home earlier this year after his family discovered he was using the drug ice.
Solicitor Rodney Boyd said his client was then "essentially homeless" and stayed at friends' houses.
Mr Boyd said his client owed money to a drug dealer and got involved with supply to pay back his debt.
"[Somerville] was effectively taken advantage of," he said.
The solicitor said his client was pressured to deal drugs on behalf of someone else.
Mr Boyd said Somerville hadn't used ice since his arrest but there was still "some concern" about his cannabis use. He said Somerville would benefit from supervision and "may need help with mental health problems".
The police prosecutor noted the cannabis bags contained differing amounts and were labelled with prices. He said this required forethought and the crime was committed for financial gain.
Magistrate Geraldine Beattie took Somerville's early guilty plea into account.
She said the three offences together was a very serious combination. The Magistrate said the pistol charge on its own carried a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail.
"Wake up to yourself," she said.
Magistrate Beattie said Somerville willingly got involved.
"You might've got in over your head but it's a position you got yourself into," the Magistrate said.
"You've started your adult record with some very serious offences.
"You're going to have to work very hard to overcome that."
Somerville was sentenced to 300 hours of community service, a 12-month intensive corrections order and a 18-month community corrections order for the pistol.
